Mantras and Materialities: Saidaiji Order Kōmyō Shingon Practices
Mantra of Light (komyo shingon) practices have been among the most popular esoteric Buddhist rituals in Japan since the thirteenth century. Chinese scriptures recorded that reciting the mantra and distributing sand empowered by it could erase transgressions and ensure rebirth in the Pure Land. Subse...
| Published in: | Japanese journal of religious studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Nanzan Institute
2018
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
Year: 2018, Volume: 45, Issue: 2, Pages: 309-340 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Saidaiji (Nara)
/ Shingon school
/ Assembly
/ Mantra des Lichts
/ Sand
/ Ritual
/ History 1200-2018
|
| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AG Religious life; material religion BL Buddhism KBM Asia RB Church office; congregation RC Liturgy TA History |
| Further subjects: | B
Mantras
B Buddhism B Ceremonies B Monks B Religious Studies B Iconography B Religious rituals B Scrolls B Vows B Karma |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Mantra of Light (komyo shingon) practices have been among the most popular esoteric Buddhist rituals in Japan since the thirteenth century. Chinese scriptures recorded that reciting the mantra and distributing sand empowered by it could erase transgressions and ensure rebirth in the Pure Land. Subsequently, teachings on the significance of the sand empowered by the mantra received a strong boost from lectures and commentaries by Myoe (1173-1232), which many scholars have emphasized in assessing the mantra's spread. This article argues, however, that focus on the sand and such commentarial literature obscures another key to the mantra's popularization in medieval Japan: the annual Mantra of Light assemblies implemented by Eison (1201-1290) at Saidaiji in 1264. In particular, based on both premodern sources and ethnographic observations, the article investigates the Saidaiji order's use of contributor rosters for fundraising, recitation, and iconographic adornment to help illuminate the intertwined social, ritual, and material culture of the assemblies. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.18874/jjrs.45.2.2018.309-340 |